Breastfeeding Competence in Primary Care (BF-CPC): Turkish Validity and Reliability

In Türkiye, healthcare providers are required to assess the competence of primary care workers in breastfeeding to improve practices and patient outcomes. However, a valid and reliable tool for evaluating breastfeeding competence in Turkish healthcare settings is lacking.

The aim of this study was to translate the Breastfeeding Competence in Primary Care from Catalan into Turkish and to assess the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of Breastfeeding Competence in Primary Care.

A methodological study testing the Turkish validity and reliability of the Breastfeeding Competence in Primary Care scale with 362 healthcare professionals working in primary health care settings. Language adaptation of the scale was achieved using the forward-backward translation method. Content, face, and construct validity were used for validity analysis; item analysis, Cronbach's alpha, and test-retest correlation were used for reliability analysis.

Content Validity Index was 0.82. As a result of factor analysis, four items were removed and a single-factor structure explaining 55.34% of the total variance was obtained. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated mixed model fit (χ²/df = 5.683; GFI = 0.769; AGFI = 0.703; CFI = 0.941; RMR = 0.082; NFI = 0.929; TLI = 0.931; IFI = 0.941; RMSEA = 0.114), as the RMSEA value indicated poor fit despite acceptable values for several other indices. Cronbach's alpha value was 0.95 and the test-retest correlation coefficient was r = 0.79; p < 0.001.

The results of this study show that the Turkish version of the Breastfeeding Competence in Primary Care is valid and reliable. It can be said that the scale can be used to evaluate the knowledge and competencies of health professionals in primary care about breastfeeding.